Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Flag

Approximately six months ago, congress passed a bill (s. 1877) that probably bore no significance at all to the vast majority of the population, but thrilled a select few. Until July 25th, 2007, veterans of the United States military were encouraged to place their right hands over their chests for the national anthem or a raising of the nation’s flag. But now we are permitted to continue to demonstrate pride in military service and devotion to our country. We can salute, however out of shape, old, or retired we may be. We took an oath that extended well beyond the few short years of our service – an oath that, so long as we draw breath, we salute our flag, honor our country, and, summoning arthritic joints and bent backs into a rigid position of attention, offer continued allegiance to the United States.____

Perhaps it’s men who tossed down armsTo battle-march with old glory high.Or children perched on parents’ shouldersCheer draped fire trucks paraded by.

Or every athlete, every bleacher standingNo one moves or bats an eye.As the anthem plays and the flag still wavesAgainst a summer’s twilight sky.

Those stars, those stripes I oft saluted,As did many millions before I.On the covered coffins of recent fallenCarried slow to where they’ll lie.

Or strangers clapping, the welcome homeThe tears come quick to my eye.As I stand straighter and I walk prouderI suppose I do know why.

Because every time they hoist my flagAnd it most always make me cry.____

In my mind, there is nothing more beautiful than an old man, hunched with age and years of living, standing straight, tall, and proud, tears coursing across his wrinkled cheeks, as he snaps a sharp, perfect salute. He is young again. He is a warrior again. He is a patriot again. And we’re free because of him.

The anthem ends and the salute drops. He picks up his cane and painfully sits back down – suddenly old again. He’s still here, you see, and he remembers his brothers who aren’t.

3 comments:

At the AFC Football Championship in Pittsburgh last Sunday, all of us in our row, stood at attention with our hand over our heart and sang the Star Spangled Banner.During all of this....here comes this frantic late father and son pushing and shoving to my left trying to get to their seat on my right. He kept yelling "Excuse Me, Excuse Me!!!! I would not budge. I thought to myself...I am not moving...this guy is an idiot..no respect. I was livid. And I did not let him by until the we had finished singing. I wanted to say something to him but...I let it go.I am still angry I did not let him have it. There are still those out there who do not understand how to respect our country and those who fought for us.By the way, the first words out of Ben Rothlesburger after he accepted the trophy was "I want to thank the Troops over there."

About Ben Shaw

Freelance Writer & Photojournalist, native of Virginia, USA, graduate of Virginia Tech, former Infantry Marine (3 tours in Iraq), and spent several months of 2009 in Iraq as an embedded journalist. Shaw also completed an embed tour in Afghanistan in early 2010. Shaw continues to pursue veteran advocacy both personally and professionally, and currently works for the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program as a Veteran Peer Specialist. Online at http://www.byshaw.com, photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/byshaw